Stories

Taquito the dog playing with a young puppy while a person watches

Faces of No-Kill: Meet Taquito, the puppy coach

Taquito the dog is teaching puppies at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary how to play, love, and live like champions.
Everyone loves him
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Jaime Gallardo lying on the floor with Dublin the dog

Magical fresh start for senior dog

Dublin needed an adopter who understood his mobility challenges.
See him in action
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"Shock and Paw: A Cat Café Mystery" book cover

Book review: ‘Shock and Paw’

In this captivating cat whodunit, an amateur sleuth and her orange tabby are back to solving crimes and running a cat café off the coast of New England.
Maddie James and JJ are at it again
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Profile of two shepherd-type dogs.

'Let’s stop killing animals in shelters and get more of them adopted out'

Los Angeles Times editorial board calls out the conditions and operations at Los Angeles Animal Services.
Support the pets of Los Angeles
Julie Castle Blog
Betty the dog sitting in a car seat wearing pearls

Senior dog regains pep in her step

Sweet Betty recovered from surgery and is thriving in her new home despite a cancer diagnosis.
Senior dog now thrives
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Three happy people posing with a calico cat and a Best Friends no-kill 2023 shelter trophy

New data shows encouraging trend for pets in shelters

Monthly data from nearly 800 animal shelters from across the U.S. shows the first lifesaving progress for dogs and cats since 2020.
Positive momentum for shelter lifesaving
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Sabine the dog in her foster home

Faces of No-Kill: Dog goes from shut down to shining

Sabine’s story shows that even the most broken spirits can heal.
Foster care transforms her
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Three people, including Best Friends CEO Julie Castle, with three dogs at New York's Rockefeller Center

Adoptable dogs shine bright at Rockefeller tree lighting

Best Friends and Toyota spotlight pet adoption and fostering during the iconic holiday event in New York City.
Event was a dream come true
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Gina sitting with with three horses lying together on the ground

A fairy-tale ending for horses who survived the odds

Three horses from Best Friends Animal Sanctuary join a loving herd on a stunning homestead, where they live their happily-ever-afters.
Now thriving with their new herd
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Persia the cat sitting with her eyes closed on a yellow chair covered in a fluffy bed

Cat’s world goes from blurry to bright

When Persia came to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, she could barely open her eyes. Now, she sees her world clearly — and it’s bright and full of love.
Now her future is bright
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Karen holding Halo the puppy in a home

Faces of No-Kill: Angelic pup survives head injury

Halo needed a miracle when he landed at Best Friends with a major head injury. Now, his health is flying high thanks to swift vet care and a foster home.
Now he spreads joy wherever he goes
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Andy the dog being adopted by two people

Waived adoption fees help dogs and cats go home sooner

When a group of New England animal shelters decided to take part in a fee-waived event, the eye-opening result was more than 150 adoptions in a week.
A win for adopters and shelters
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Karen the pig outside being trained by two people with her belt and a target stick

Meet the deaf pet pig who wears a ‘magic belt’

See how caregivers at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary found a creative solution to train a pig who can’t hear.
Now she sunbathes safely
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Pumba the dog with mouth open in a smile

Watch: Heartwarming reunion between dog and his person

Pumba’s person never intended for him to end up in a shelter, and everyone could feel the love when the two were reunited.
See the love
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Leo Decatmeow the cat in a person's lap and looking very happy

Faces of No-Kill: Cat goes from scared to superstar

When Leo Decatmeow came to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, he was scared and a bit overwhelmed. Now, he’s living the life of the star he’s named after.
Daily outings in the stroller helped him adjust
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